FIGS. 21 and 22 illustrate an example of a handle device that is fixed to an outer panel which configures a vehicle-exterior-side surface of a vehicle door that can be opened or closed with respect to a vehicle body. Note that, an example of this type of handle device in the related art includes a handle device disclosed in JP 2008-156935A (Reference 1).
The handle device includes a handle support member as a base member and an outside handle (not illustrated) that is positioned on a vehicle exterior side of the handle support member and is rotatably supported by the handle support member. The outside handle is able to rotate with respect to the handle support member between an initial position and an operational position.
The handle support member is provided with a linkage mechanism not illustrated. A part of the linkage mechanism is linked to the outside handle. Further, another part of the linkage mechanism is connected to one end of a metal rod (not illustrated). The other end of the rod is linked to a locking device provided in the vehicle door.
When the outside handle rotates from the initial position to the operational position, the linkage mechanism operates. Then, a rotating force from the outside handle is transmitted to the rod via the linkage mechanism and the rod is shifted. Then, the locking device connected to the other end of the rod enters a switching mode from a latched state to an unlatched state. As a result, the vehicle door can be opened or closed with respect to the vehicle body.
For example, when a vehicle, in which the handle device is mounted, collides with another vehicle, the inertia acts on the vehicle due to the collision. When a direction of the inertia acting on the handle device is (substantially) coincident with a moving direction of the outside handle from the initial position to the operational position, there is a concern that the outside handle will move to the operational position due to the inertia and the locking device will unexpectedly enter the switching mode from the latched state to the unlatched state.
In order to cope with the above problem, the handle support member is provided with a rotatable inertia lever that is illustrated in the figures.
As illustrated in the figures, the inertia lever integrally includes a lever main body, a rotary shaft fixed to the central portion of the lever main body, and a counterweight that is fixed to one end portion of the lever main body and is made of a material having a higher specific gravity than the lever main body.
The inertia lever is rotatable with respect to the handle support member between a non-regulation position at which the operation of the linkage mechanism is not interrupted and a regulation position at which the operation of the linkage mechanism is interrupted.
Further, a torsion coil spring is provided between the inertia lever and the handle support member. The torsion coil spring causes the inertia lever to rotate and be biased to the non-regulation position.
In normal times (when no collision or the like occurs to the vehicle in which the handle device is mounted), since the torsion coil spring causes the inertia lever to be positioned at the non-regulation position, the inertia lever does not interrupt the operation of the linkage mechanism. Hence, when an occupant in the vehicle rotates the outside handle from the initial position to the operational position, the linkage mechanism operates through interlocking with the rotation, and, as a result, the locking device enters a switching mode from the latched state to the unlatched state.
On the other hand, when the inertia acts on the handle device (substantially) in the same direction as the moving direction of the outside handle from the initial position to the operational position due to the collision of the vehicle, the inertia lever swiftly moves from the non-regulation position to the regulation position due to the inertial. In other words, before the outside handle moves from the initial position to the operational position due to the inertia, the inertia lever moves from the non-regulation position to the regulation position.
Therefore, the operation of the linkage mechanism, which is interlocked with the movement of the outside handle to the operational position, is regulated by the inertia lever positioned at the regulation position.
Hence, it is possible to decrease a concern that the locking device will unexpectedly enter the switching mode from the latched state to the unlatched state.
In the handle device, the inertia lever and the torsion coil spring are attached to the handle support member through the following procedure.
First, as illustrated in FIGS. 21 and 22, the torsion coil spring is installed on the inertia lever separated from the handle support member (refer to FIG. 23).
The torsion coil spring has a cylindrical main body portion extending to have a spiral shape and a first engagement piece and a second engagement piece which extend from both ends of the main body portion, respectively.
As illustrated in FIGS. 21 and 22, the rotary shaft of the inertia lever is inserted into the main body portion, and thereby the torsion coil spring is attached to the inertia lever.
As illustrated in the figures, the inertia lever is provided with a lever-side engagement portion that can engage with the first engagement piece of the torsion coil spring. However, the inertia lever is not provided with a portion that can engage with the second engagement piece of the torsion coil spring.
Therefore, the torsion coil spring (main body portion) installed on the inertia lever is able to rotate with respect to the rotary shaft.
Subsequently, while an operator grips the inertia lever and the torsion coil spring in a hand, the operator engages the first engagement piece with the lever-side engagement portion.
Further, the second engagement piece griped in the hand is engaged with a support-member-side engagement portion formed in the handle support member and the second engagement piece is sufficiently bent due to a reaction force received from the support-member-side engagement portion.
While the second engagement piece is held in the bending state, both end portions of the rotary shaft of the inertia lever are caused to move to a position at which both of the end portions can be fitted into a pair of recessed support portions (not illustrated) formed in an inner surface of a wall of the handle support member.
As illustrated in FIG. 23, while the second engagement piece and the support-member-side engagement portion are held in the engaging state, both of the end portions of the rotary shaft of the inertia lever are caused to be fitted into the pair of recessed support portions of the handle support member.
In this manner, when the inertia lever is installed in the handle support member, the inertia lever is able to rotate around the rotary shaft with respect to the handle support member. Further, the main body portion of the torsion coil spring is elastically deformed and the torsion coil spring causes the inertia lever to rotate and be biased to the non-regulation position side.
In the handle device described above, when the inertia lever is separated from the handle support member (before being attached), rotation of the torsion coil spring with respect to the inertia lever is not regulated.
Therefore, as described above, in order to install the inertia lever in the handle support member, there is a need to fit both of the end portions of the rotary shaft of the inertia lever into the pair of recessed support portions of the handle support member while the operator engages the second engagement piece with the support-member-side engagement portion by hand. However, this is no easy work.
Note that, if the inertia lever and the torsion coil spring are caused to be attached to the handle support member with the second engagement piece not gripped by hand, the torsion coil spring is likely to relatively rotate with respect to the inertia lever during the attachment work. Therefore, there is a concern that the second engagement piece will hook on a portion of the handle support member other than the support-member-side engagement portion and, as a result, both of the end portions of the rotary shaft of the inertia lever are not able to be fitted into the pair of recessed support portions of the handle support member.